Sources: Washington’s proposed deal for OpTic Chicago CDL spot falls through
The reported deal to bring a Call of Duty League franchise to Washington, D.C. has now fallen through, CoD insider Unscriiptedd has reported on Twitter and sources close to the situation have confirmed to Dexerto.
The state of the 12 franchises in the Call of Duty League is in flux once again, with a team reportedly becoming available for purchase as long-time rivals OpTic Gaming and Envy Gaming are set to join forces.
Following news that OpTic Chicago and Dallas Empire would both cease to exist moving into the 2022 season, making way for therecently-leaked OpTic Dallas brand, it became public knowledge that the owners of the Washington Justice Overwatch franchise were interested in entering Call of Duty.
NRG is looking to sell its slot in the CDL and Washington Esports Ventures appeared to be the frontrunners to secure the purchase. While talks were still ongoing until November 2, a potential deal has now reportedly fallen through.
This same information wasreported by ‘Unscriiptedd’ on Twitteron Nov. 3.
OpTic Gaming has always been an established name in the world of Call of Duty esports, but the brand has been through plenty of evolutions since the new franchised league came into fruition in 2020.
Under the ownership of Immortals Gaming Club, OpTic Gaming Los Angeles was one of the 12 teams in the inaugural season of the league. Meanwhile, former OpTic CEO Hector ‘H3CZ’ Rodriguez teamed up with NRG to launch the Chicago Huntsmen.
Ahead of the second season,H3CZ reacquired his beloved OpTic brand from IGCand rebranded the Huntsmen to OpTic Chicago. The slot owned by IGC became available and was subsequentlypurchased by 100 Thieves, marking Matthew ‘Nadeshot’ Haag’s return to CoD with his very own franchise: Los Angeles Thieves.
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With OpTic Dallas all but confirmed, there are more changes coming to the Call of Duty League ahead of Vanguard’s arrival. While a Washington franchise seemed likely based on a report fromDot Esportson September 17, sources have now informed Dexerto that the deal will not go ahead.
Sources close to the situation have told Dexerto that negotiations between NRG and Washington Esports Ventures broke down at the last minute.
This was further supported when players speculated for the potential lineup all tweeted in unison on November 2.
Looks like something fell through with the rumored Washington DC CDL roster..pic.twitter.com/J1b2udKpxa
— Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports)Jul 10, 2025
The situation continued to go south throughout the day asreportsbegan to surface that Washington Esports Ventures have indeed backed out of negotiations. If this intel holds true, Activision Blizzard and NRG will be keen to find a new buyer sooner rather than later.
With new Call of Duty title Vanguard releasing on Nov. 5 and the CDL’s third season expected to start in January 2022, the clock is ticking for a new franchise.
